engleski

The economic value of coastal forests for tourism: A comparative study of three valuation methods

Coastal forests in the Mediterranean countries are frequently subject to forest fires. This study aims at documenting the value to tourists of preserving these forests by investing in forest fire prevention programs. Three independent environmental valuation methods were used to estimate the aesthetic value of coastal forests in Croatia to tourists. Results from a Contingent Valuation (CV) study of tourists´ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a hotel room with a view of coastal forests were compared to a Hedonic Price (HP) analysis of hotel room prices, and an Expert Assessment (EA) by hotel managers providing their best guess of the added value to a hotel room from a coastal forest view. All three methods can be successfully applied to estimate the aesthetic value of forests to tourists. They show significant positive WTP among tourists, and produce comparable economic values. Each tourist was on average willing to pay 1 - 2.50 US$ extra per night for a hotel room with a view of coastal forests.

coastal forest; Croatia; contingent valuation; hedonic pricing; expert assessment; hotel room rate

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